This article is from page 11 of the 2006-07-18 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 11 JPG
CLARE County Council’s ability to dispose of waste came in for renewed criticism this week, as news broke that effluent was taken to a scheme that was unable to treat it.
Following difficulty with the treatment plant in Kilmihill, effluent was moved by a permitted contractor to a plant that was unable to treat it in Kilrush.
The untreated effluent was then allowed to run into the estuary with the town’s own waste.
At this week’s meeting of Clare County Council, Cllr Patricia McCarthy (Ind) criticised the decision.
The Environmental Special Policy Committee chairperson told her council colleagues that it was against “best practice” to remove effluent to a plant that was not able to treat it.
“Everyone knows the Kilrush plant is not capable of treating it,” she said referring to a council proposal to upgrade the system in the West Clare capital.
“There are other treatment plants that are capable of taking it,” she said.
The visibly angered councillor said that it should not be the job of the environmental department to “police” the council.
Acting Director of Services and County Engineer Walter Walsh admitted to the council that it would have been better to deal with the effluent in a different way.
He told the councillors that the effluent was mixed with the Kilrush effluent and released into the estuary “like the rest”.
Cllr McCarthy said she wanted a written report on what happened including the name of the contractor and the time of the movement.
Green Party Councillor Brian Meaney also asked if the contractor in question was to retain his permit and if he was asked to take the waste to Kilrush by a member of the council staff.
This revelation follows on from an investigation in the last six weeks into illegal dumping on local authority land in Kilrush Town.
The incident was blamed on “a breakdown in communication”.